Catch me doing something right.

A friend recently started a new job and in the first week had been given an informal induction by an assortment of his new colleagues. There was no formal local induction into the role although there was a corporate process which luckily he had managed to catch a few months before as part of a part time role he held. As a mature individual (yes over 50!) he was keen to settle into this new post quickly so that he could add value to the organisation and begin to enjoy making a difference. It came as a bit of a surprise then that the most valuable bits of information that came his way all came to him via informal discussions or as a result of his own questioning.
One of the most interesting things that emerged from the informal induction was that the unit manager had a very strict dress code but he had never actually passed this piece of information on. My friend ‘discovered’ this information after witnessing the manager telling another colleague not to return to the unit wearing the clothes he had turned up in. It was an embarrassing moment for all concerned and one that could so easily have been avoided by simply telling people what was acceptable to wear and what was not.
The incident raises more troubling issue – what other information has not been passed on to employees? This lack of communication sends critical messages to employees that managers prefer to catch people doing things wrong, rather than the more nurturing and supportive approach of catching people doing things right! Praise and recognition in the workplace is an essential component to good management and goes a long way to make up for any other employment deficiencies that we may face.
I think it is time that as managers of people we all look harder to find people doing things right and giving praise where it is due.

Andy Murray - a new approach?

I, like many others, watched with expectation the Andy Murray tennis match hoping that this time he would pull off the win and slam result it appears everyone is waiting for. So the disappointment that was felt by the crowd could surely only be topped by Andy’s own response. For me the match seemed dogged by a negative vibe that spoke louder than any words ever could. The question that pops into my head is why doesn’t Andy have the tools at his disposal to counter the obvious pressures he faces and rebalance his thinking towards a more proactive and positive result?
Thinking about the way we manage our day to day stresses and how people in the public eye have to deal with the additional issues of media and public expectations it is understandable difficult to always be positive and upbeat. The physical demands of a long tennis match only add to the complexities, however, others manage to deal with all of these issues. Andy needs a new approach; he needs to break the cycle of negative thinking before it grips him – that might be before he even appears on court.
No amount of positive thinking will ultimately make things happen that are not meant to be so my tips for Andy in helping him move forward are of course to stay positive but also to try the following:
• Live in the moment – each moment is precious so use it well
• Make positive choices – don’t let one mistake put you off your stride, keep going and keep moving forward
• Smile – it’s a much under used and under estimate tool and is more powerful than you might imagine
• Relax – easy to say I know but laughing at yourself and keeping upbeat changes you physically and mentally, so have fun!
I for one would be happy to help to see Andy fulfil his dream and that of so many others.

Is Attitude Everything?

If, as I once read that my actions today determine my success tomorrow, then I should be set for a very successful future. Before we get started let me give you a small example of how I apply the above theory on a very practical level. When driving around town looking for a parking space or searching for the set of lost keys for the umpteenth time, try changing the way you think about the problem. So instead of saying I wish I could find a parking space/my lost keys etc say instead 'I am finding a car parking space/my lost keys.' Try it, even for fun and you will see how it can change the way you live your life.
Once you have tried this simple change to your thinking you have already started to tackle the underlying issue that can prevent us from moving forward; our attitude. More precisely our attitude towards ourselves and the level of control we have over what happens to us. Changing your attitude could change you life. If you find that you go around wishing for new things to happen or for something exciting to take place you need to rethink your attitude. Try focusing on what you want to achieve, then start to talk about it as if it is happening. Change the script you use and see how differently people respond to you. Instead of 'I'd love to buy a house' try 'I'm saving up for a deposit on my first home'. The next step in this example is obvious - you need to set up a savings account and deposit some cash on a regular basis, even a few pounds will make a big difference over time and watching the balance grow might spur you into greater actions!
Changing how you express what you are doing or what you want can be a big step forward in helping to reframe your attitude and the perceptions of those around you. So go on change the way you talk - your inner voice as much as the external one other people can hear and you will find that making positive changes comes naturally.

Be Your Own Coach

Imagine that for every tricky situation that you had to face you had access to a specialist who could give you the best possible advice and bolster your fragile emotions so that you could take on any challenge with ease and composure! Sounds like a fine idea and a very useful way to go through life; accessing expertise and building your self esteem. Well what if I said you can have all of this and it doesn't need to cost you a small fortune. Of course you could go for the magic wand or quick fix approaches but these don't tend to last very long. What I want to give you is the ability to sustain over a lifetime the ability to achieve all of your goals without hurting anyone else in the process, become a fulfiled and happier person.
How? Well we need to start with some basics - have a life goal or two (personaliy I have three, one for fun, that's to have my Crime Novel published and two serious - but still fun!)
Rule 1: Knowing what you want is the first step to getting it.
Next have a plan. Take steps to achieve your goals no matter how small.
Rule 2: Do something every day that takes you closer to achieving your goal.
Create the environment for success by telling people about your goals, let your ideas float freely into the atmosphere - it's amazing what comes back to you.
Rule 3: Promote yourself and your ideas to everyone possible.
Take yourself seriously. Imagine you have achieved success - what does it feel like, how do you like it? Make up a mantra and repeat it often - here's mine "I am my own alchemical magician."
Rule 4: Believe in yourself, and give your self permission to succeed.
Be honest with youself and everyone around you. If you need help, ask, if you need to learn, do so.
Rule 6: Be happy with who you are and smart enough to know when to get support
I hope you like my 'rules'. These are the basics for a successful and happy way of living and creating your own internal coach. Practice these rules and the negative voices inside your head and your heart will soon deminish.

Moving from wanting to doing

How often have you chatted with a friend or colleague about wanting to do something different or new. How often has that conversation led to a feeling of frustration and even hopelessness. It's human nature to want and anyone who has looked at human behaviour knows about Mazlow's hierarchy of needs and the diference between need and want. Moving forward in life is often fraught with difficulties to overcome and blockages to shift before wants or needs can be satisfied. But how do we move from wanting something to doing it - really putting into action those things that you really want to achieve. The first step is being crystal clear about what you actually want. Knowing and understanding what you want will make it easier to get there. I often describe this as 'getting on the bus' - you wouldn't nornally jump on the first bus that comes along. Normally you would know your destination, find which bus will take you there and get on the RIGHT bus!
Your journey through life is similiar, know where you want to go and you can determine the right bus to catch.
The next step is being aware - of people, opportunities and ideas that can move you forward to achieve you goals. Tell people about your plans, share your ideas and listen to see what new opportunites present themselves to help you move forward. Remember if this step is not working for you it is s SIGNAL to you to do something else. Sometimes a small chang ein behaviour or activity is the key to makeing things happen around you.
The next and crucial step is to be flexible - you need to keep in mind that you might have to change direction several times before you get what you want. Think about that bus journey I mentioned earlier. Imagine you want to travel from Aberdeen to London. It might take three or four changes in your journey before you get to your final destination but if you are flexible and can achieve what you wanted. In fact this zig zag journey may be more enriching than taking the straight route from A to B. In real life the things we value most are those we have striven to attain, achieved in the face of adversity and gained through our own efforts.

Engaging Staff

It can be difficult to keep staff informed of the key drivers within your organisation and good communication is basis of making sure people understand their contribution to a shared goal. Here are some tips to help you improve the way you communicate with your people:
1. Communication needs to be a two way process so make sure you have a method that allows people to comment, ask questions and make suggestions on a regular basis
2. Measure how successful you are at communicating - you probably measure other aspects of your business and communication is vital to success so measuring how well you are doing is important so that you can improve
3. Use lots of different ways to communicate - verbal, team briefs, newletters, electronic messages, internal blogs, social networks (where appropriate) notice boards, posters and so on ...
4. Give leaders and managers a platform for communication - I've always found that a team briefing process works well, it shows a commitment to inform people, gives managers an opportunity to use a structured process to communicate and there is a regularity to team briefing that establishes an expectation among staff that they will be informed about the organisational goals
5. Encourage everyone to be part of the communication process - rotate the chair in meetings, get people involved by asking someone to keep time or take notes, try to sandwich good and bad news and always try to end on a positive, even if that is only to thank people for participating.
Good Luck!

Review your Company's Communications

We all know that attending meetings can take up a lot of our time and that often we don't seem to have enough time during the day to prepare properly for all of these meetings. If you are increasingly finding that you are taking paperwork home to read or comment on because day time activites are overloaded then it is probably time to review your internal communications. Most organisations have a pattern to them that we often ignore or just don't recognise. This pattern detemines many of the meetings that need to take place. Think about it; near the year end, budgets need to be prepared and analysed. Planning strategic objectives is normally an annual event and is closely linked to budget setting. Other activities such as performance reviews tend to pop up on a regular six month cycle and project and team meetings will be more frequent.
So now we begin to see a pattern of communication emerge. Look further and consider e-mail, telephone and other regular contact such as visual displays (notice boards, white boards etc) and a multi layer approach to communication starts to emerge. Mapping out these communications and prioritising those you need to participate in will help control your time and your diary. Once you have mapped out and prioritised your overall communications you can then begin to rationalise and focus your approach.
Make sure you think about why the meeting/communication is needed, how frequent this needs to be, the style (formal/informal)of communication and the audience - who should be involved. Once you have mapped this out your diary will only be filled with the things you really need to do and you can take back some time to yourself!